The ClayBird

A film directed by Tareque Masud

Released by Milestone FilmsPO Box 128, Harrington Park, NJ 07640

(800) 603-1104 • Fax: 201-767-3035Email:milefilms @aol.com • www.milestonefilms .com

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The Clay Bird(Matir Moina)

2002. France/Bangladesh. Running time: 98 minutes. Aspect ratio: 1:1.66. Color. Mono.Winner: FIPRESCI (International Critics’) Prize, Directors’ Fortnight, Cannes 2002

Cast

Anu................................................ Nurul Islam BabluRokon............................................ Russell FaraziKazi ................................................ Jayanto ChattopadhyayAyesha .......................................... Rokeya PrachyMilon ............................................. Soaeb IslamAsma ............................................. Lameesa R. ReemjheemIbrahim ......................................... Moin AhmedBakiullah ....................................... Md. MoslemuddinHalim Mia...................................... Adbul KarimKarim Majhi (Boyati) .................... Shah Alam DewanShaheen........................................ Golam MahmudUttam ............................................ Pradip Mittra Mithun

Crew

Director ......................................... Tareque MasudProducer ....................................... Catherine MasudScreenplay.................................... Tareque and Catherine MasudMain Cinematography ................ Sudheer PalsaneAdditional Cinematography....... Ranjan Palit, Maksudul BariFirst Camera Assistant ................. Gaetane RousseauSound Recording ......................... Indrajit NeogiAdditional Sound......................... Abdus Sattar Ripon, Keramot AliEditing........................................... Catherine MasudArt Direction and Set Design...... Kazi Rakib, Sylvain NahmiasCostume Design .......................... Masuda Kazi, Kazi RakibMusic Director.............................. Moushumi BhowmikSound Mix..................................... Ratan PaulExecutive Producer...................... Nathalie KreutherA Franco-Bangladeshi co-product ion MK 2 sa/AudiovisionWith the support of ..................... The South Fund (Fonds Sud Cinema)

French Ministry of Culture and CommunicationCNC (French National Film CenterFrench Ministry of Foreign Affairs

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Festivals and Awards

2002 Cannes Film Festival, FIPRESCI International Critics’ Prize for Best Film2002 Edinburgh International Film Festival2002 Montreal International Film Festival2002 Marrakesh Film Festival (Morocco), Best Screen Play Award2002 Cairo International Film Festival2003 Palm Springs International Film Festival2003 New Directors/New Films Festival, New York

Synopsis

Set against the backdrop of the turbulent period in the late 1960s leading up to Bangladesh’sindependence from Pakistan, The Clay Bird tells the story of a family torn apart by religion andwar. Anu, a shy young boy from rural East Pakistan (Bangladesh, as it is now known) is sentaway by his father Kazi, an orthodox Muslim, to a madrasa or Islamic school. Far from hisfamily and the colorful pagan festivities of his village, Anu struggles to adapt to the school’sharsh monastic life.

As the political divisions in the country mount, an increasing split develops betweenmoderate and extremist forces within the madrasa, mirroring a growing divide between thestubborn but confused Kazi and his increasingly independent wife, Ayesha.

These conflicts intensify as the country is wracked by political upheavals, culminating in theoutbreak of civil war. Amidst the devastation, Ayesha makes her own life choice and the oncepassive Anu finds a new path into adulthood.

Touching upon themes of religious tolerance, cultural diversity, and the complexity of Islam,The Clay Bird has universal relevance in a crisis-ridden world.

Main Characters

Anu (Nurul Islam Bablu)Anu is the only son in a lower-middle-class village family. Viewinghis world with suppressed wonder, he is sent off to a madrasa byhis father. There he struggles to adjust to the rigid pattern ofmonastic education, while dreaming of his village home.

Kazi (Jayanto Chattopadhyay)Anu’s father, an obsessive, religious man who sends his son tomadrasa and enforces Islamic purdah (confinement) on his youngwife. Internally, he is a weak and confused man who is afraid ofchange and takes refuge in religion. His pastimes are reading theKoran and the homeopathic medicines with which he treats the poorvillagers.

Ayesha (Rokeya Prachy)Anu’s mother married young. Intimidated by her husband, shetakes up the veil against her will and watches the outside worldthrough her shuttered windows. Lonely and isolated, she is close toher husband’s younger brother, Milon, who was her childhoodfriend.

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Historical Background

The Clay Bird is set in the late 1960s when a democratic movement agitating for generalelections was building against the Pakistani junta. Until 1971, Bangladesh formed the easternwing of the Great Islamic State of Pakistan. For more than two decades the region had been inrevolt against the western wing’s military rule and domination. This democratic movementfor autonomy reached its peak in 1969 when it brought down the military government inpower. The new military ruler, Yahya Khan, promised to hold free and fair elections. In 1970,

Asma (Lameesa R. Reemjheem)Lively and curious, Asma is Anu’s younger sister. She boosts hermother’s spirits after Anu is sent off to madrasa. When she becomesill, will her father’s insistence on using only homeopathic remediesthreaten Asma’s recovery?

Milon (Soaeb Islam)Kazi’s younger brother, Milon stays in a part of the house that isseparate from the rooms where Ayesha lives. He gets involved in localpolitics through his student activities and brings glimpses of theoutside world into the household. Milon introduces Anu to Hindu folkfestivals and mysticism, much to Kazi’s disapproval.

Rokon (Russell Farazi)A student in the madrasa, Rokon is something of an outcastbecause of his strange behavior and imaginary friends. Since Anuis also an outcast (though for very different reasons), the twoyoung boys become friends. Rokon eventually becomes a victimof the institutional rigidity of the madrasa.

Karim Boyati (Shah Alam Dewan)An old Sufi bard of the village, he has witnessed thetransitions in Anu’s family over the years. Karim Boyati singspoetic, mysterious songs that fascinate the young Anu.

Bakiullah (Md. Moslemuddin)The strict principal of the madrasa, Bakiullah is an intimidatingman who is feared by all. As the polarization of the outside societygrows, Bakiullah advocates the need for a jihad to defend Islam.

Ibrahim (Moin Ahmed)One of the madrasa’s teachers, Ibrahim is a more sympatheticcharacter. A liberal and scholarly man, he befriends the students,especially Anu and Rokon. He is apolitical and disagrees with theprincipal’s hardline interpretation of Islam.

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the elections were held and the leader of the pro-democracy movement, Sheikh MujiburRahman, won a resounding victory. But the Pakistani military canceled the elections and inMarch 1971, organized a violent crackdown — targeting Bengali students, political leadersand the Hindu minority. The civil war that followed pitted a poorly armed population againstUS-backed forces. After nine months of fighting, on December 16, 1971, the people achievedvictory and the independent state of Bangladesh was founded. An estimated three millionBengalis were killed during the conflict and almost ten million were made refugees. After1971, the international community’s interest in the cause of Bangladesh declined sharply.Today, this major genocide of the late twentieth century is largely forgotten.

Tareque Masud

Tareque Masud was born in 1957 in Faridpur, Bangladesh and spent most of his childhood ina madrasa (Islamic seminary school). The Bangladesh war of independence from Pakistan in1971 put an abrupt end to his religious studies. After the war he entered general education,eventually completing his masters in history from Dhaka University.

Masud was actively involved in the film society movement from his university days, andparticipated in numerous short courses and workshops on film in Bangladesh and abroad. Hestarted his first film, a documentary on the Bangladeshi painter S.M. Sultan, in late 1982. Sincethen he has directed a number of short, documentary, and animation films. In 1989, hemarried American Catherine Masud (an American), and moved to New York to work with heron a 35mm documentary, Muktir Gaan (Song of Freedom). In 1995, he returned to Dhaka tocontinue his filmmaking career.

In 2002 his first feature film, The Clay Bird premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. He is afounding member of the Short Film Forum, the primary forum for alternative filmmakers inBangladesh, and in 1988 served as Coordinator of the First International Short Film Festivalheld in Dhaka. He has also attended international film festivals and seminars in Europe, theUS, and Asia and writes occasionally on film-related themes for periodicals and journals. Heand Catherine Masud run a film production firm, Audiovision, based in Dhaka and the couplehas produced numerous documentaries and shorts. The Clay Bird is their first feature film.

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Catherine Masud

Catherine Masud was born in Chicago in 1963. She is a graduate in economics from BrownUniversity, and did post-graduate studies in fine arts at the Art Institute of Chicago, and filmproduction in New York. Since 1995, she has been living in Dhaka, Bangladesh with herhusband, Tareque Masud.

Under the banner of their production house Audiovision, she has produced and directednumerous films. She recently produced and co-wrote her first feature The Clay Bird, directedby Tareque, which won the International Critics’ Prize at Cannes. In addition, Catherine hasworked extensively with street children in Bangladesh, and recently completed adocumentary based on their life stories, A Kind of Childhood.

Catherine Masud is an experienced editor specializing in computer-based non-linear editingand has set up computerized multi-media and audio-visual facilities as a freelance advisor.She also writes essays and fiction, which have been published in various journals. Besides herprofessional life, she pursues her interest in drawing and painting.

Filmography

A Kind of Childhood (Betacam SP, 50 mins, 2002)Directors: Tareque & Catherine Masud; Production: Xingu Films/AudiovisionA documentary on the lives and struggles of working children in Dhaka, followed over thecourse of six years.

The Clay Bird (Matir Moina) (35mm, 98 mins, 2002)Director: Tareque Masud; Producer: Catherine MasudProduction: Audiovision/MK2A feature film based on the director’s childhood experience in a madrasa in rural East Pakistanduring the turbulent 1960s.

Narir Kotha (Women & War) (Betacam SP, 25 mins, 2000)Directors: Tareque & Catherine MasudDocumentary on the experiences of women survivors of war.

Muktir Kotha (Words of Freedom) (Betacam SP, 82 mins, 1999)Directors: Tareque & Catherine MasudOral history documentary about experience of ordinary villagers during 1971 Liberation War.

In the Name of Safety (DVCam, 25 mins, 1998)Directors: Tareque & Catherine Masud; Production: TVE London/AudiovisionDocumentary on human rights abuses in Bangladesh.

Voices of Children (Betacam SP, 30 mins, 1997)Directors: Tareque & Catherine Masud; Production: Unicef/AudiovisionDocumentary on working children in Bangladesh.

Muktir Gaan (Song of Freedom) (35mm, 78 mins, 1996)Directors: Tareque & Catherine Masud. Mainly based on original footage shot by an American,Lear Levin.Feature length documentary film about a troupe of traveling musicians during theBangladesh Liberation War 1971.

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Unison (Umatic video, 4 mins, 1994)Animated film about the unity of humankind.

Se (The Conversation) (35mm, 10 mins, 1993)Directors: Tareque Masud, Shameem AkhterShort fiction about a strained reunion between a man and a woman.

Adam Surat (The Inner Strength) (16mm, 54 mins, 1989)Director: Tareque MasudDocumentary on the life and art of the Bangladeshi painter S.M. Sultan.

Interview with Tareque and Catherine MasudExcerpts from an interview in Paris, January, 2002 (Transcribed by Corinne Réti)

Question: To what extent did your personal life influence the story of the film?

Tareque Masud: The film is based on my childhood experience. Although it is not anautobiography — the responsibility would be too great — the film is inspired by mychildhood. I was a madrasa student myself. It was quite unusual for someone with my lowermiddle class background to be sent to madrasa. The middle class, not to mention the elite, iscompletely unaware of the subculture of madrasas. These schools are filled with poor childrenseparated from the mainstream. As a filmmaker, I feel it is my responsibility to share myexperience to bring a wider scope of understanding. The closer my art is to my ownexperience, the more I know and the better I can convey. Childhood is very important to me.It is a treasure of inspiration. If you are loyal and truthful to it, it can open up manyopportunities in your art.

But Matir Moina (The Clay Bird) is not just a film about childhood or Islam — it’s aboutrelationships. Relationships between child and adult, between different belief systems… Inparticular, I was interested in exploring relationships between people who continue to grow,and people who don’t — people who are stuck in some sort of belief system. The film is aboutthose people who are ever-evolving, usually children but sometimes also adults, ordinarypeople who are still “children” in the greater sense of the word, because they’ve retained thatessential childlike innocence and curiosity and have the capacity to grow with the day-to-dayexperience of life. In contrast to them are people who cling to their beliefs, whether religious,political or whatever, and cannot grow or adapt with the changing world. I’ll give you the

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example of the young people in my crew. Many had never met madrasa children before theymet the actual madrasa students who acted in the film. They discovered in the process ofmaking the film that madrasa children are loveable like all children, and also extremelyintelligent, and so “real!” Likewise the madrasa children were able to get a new and diverseexposure through the interaction with our crew. If all madrasa kids had more exposure to theworld, it would be good for them.

Question: In your film, what it real and what is fiction?

TM: Almost all of the characters and events in the film are from my childhood. I really had asister who died. And, as in the film, my mother can neither forget nor forgive that my fatherprohibited the use of general medicine. As for Rokon, he is a combination of three friends Iused to have in madrasa. Concerning the outbreak of war, everything is true to my ownexperience, except that, unlike the film, we managed to convince our father to leave thehouse with us.

Question: How did you go about casting your film?

Catherine Masud: There are no casting studios in Bangladesh. To find the main childcharacters, we went to different schools for working class children. We made a documentaryfilm on these special schools run by NGOs [non-governmental organizations, a UNdesignation]. The children, who have singing and play-acting workshops, are quite good atacting; they are already “oriented” in that field, so to speak. Some of the students are realmadrasa students too, and we mixed them together with the street children in the film. Butwe didn’t find Anu through this channel. We had met many children, including kids orientedby their parents to become actors. They’d come with pictures and videos but were totallyinappropriate. So we searched through friends…

We needed a child with a reflexive cast of mind who was extremely open to the world, curiouswithout expressing much. By a fluke we found a boy who worked as a house servant forfriends of ours. He had come to the city from his village to work and go to school.

TM: In the teachers’ case, some are professional actors and others are actual madrasateachers. Some, like Halim and Bakiullah, had occasionally worked as extras, but had neverbeen given a dialogue scene before. We gave them major parts because they look like realpeople, not sophisticated and urban like most professional actors. It’s not that we haveanything against professional actors, but our background is in documentary filmmaking,where people “play” their own character. They are more flexible and often less self-conscious.Our goal was to find people whose personal life would have some kind of connection withwhat the character goes through. For example, in the case of Ayesha, we were looking forsomeone who was a mother in real life, and also had been through some difficult lifeexperience or tragedy. The actress who plays Ayesha had this background. And her daughterplays Anu’s sister!

CM: The actors who played Kazi and Ayesha are the only professionals in our cast. But they arenot big stars! Kazi’s case is very interesting too. He plays an orthodox Muslim and he’s actuallya Hindu! But he has such a talent for picking up accents, expressions … Kazi becomes a victimof the whole system he’s trapped himself in. We needed someone who had a naturalexpression of sadness in the eyes, on his face. And they actor has actually been through adifficult time, a sad history too.

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Question: Are the madrasa teachers really as strict as the ones in the film?

TM: I tried to rely on my own memories. Some teachers were very strict, but they just stronglybelieved, like many parents, that getting a strict education is good for children. I don’t want tomake caricatures. I never considered the head teacher, Bakiullah as a bad guy. He’s part of abelief system, which encourages discipline and hard-line beliefs. The other teacher, Ibrahim, ismore of a Kafkaesque character. He’s very sweet but also weak. Although he may disagree, henever confronts Bakiullah. I based this character on a real teacher of mine. Like Ibrahim, hecame from a remote part of the country, Noakhali district. He spoke the dialect of that region,which in Bangladesh is considered to be the most backward place. Traditionally in Bengali thestupid and ludicrous character always speaks like this dialect. But because of my own memoryof my teacher, I wanted to give the most positive character in the film this accent and breakthe stereotype. I made him speak Noakhali dialect in such a soft and musical way that won’tsound ridiculous at all to a Bangladeshi audience.

Question: What is the main message of your film?

TM: If there is any message in the film at all, it’s a message against having any strong messageor opinion. As you know, there are many references to homeopathy, communism, and Islamin the film. There’s nothing wrong with any of them per se. The problem begins when we tryto claim that any belief system is the only solution to every issue and aspect of life. In allreligions, there is a danger of extremism, and Islam is no exception. But, like other religions,Islam also has its own diverse schools and interpretations. There has always been a greattradition within Islam of “bahas” (religions debate). That’s why there are 74 sects in Islam,possibly more than any other religion. Unfortunately this culture of questioning and quest hasdeclined dramatically in recent times. It’s important to bring back this dialogue betweendifferent interpretations of Islam. Islam respects the capability of individual reasoning overthe dictates of any priesthood. That’s why “Ilm” (Islamic knowledge) is so much emphasized inIslam, so that individual Muslims can interpret scriptures without going to a mullah. A Muslimdoes not need to go to a mullah or Mufti for confession to relieve their guilt for committing asin. Also, unlike other faiths Islam believes in prophetic pluralism, decreeing that loyalty to allother prophets including Abraham, Moses and Jesus and others is a must. But at the sametime, Islamic creed strongly condemns “Sherek,” the claim that anything or anyone, even aprophet, should be equal to Allah. In Islam, the prophet Mohammed is known as “Habib,” orfriend, of Allah, not his son, or a lord in his own right. Even within the orthodox, or “Shariah”school, there are many debates and divergences. The character of Ibrahim in the film is anexample of a more orthodox interpretation, which is at the same time moderate andquestioning of extremist views.

Q: How do you see your role as a filmmaker and as a Muslim?

TM: Film can be an extension of life. I consider my film not only a journey into the heart of mycommunity and my childhood but also a search inside my own self. Matir Moina (The Clay Bird)is not a film about a community seen from outside, but rather from inside — trying tounderstand myself, my own community, and my own religion as a fellow Muslim. But at thesame time I feel fortunate having known other religions thanks to my inter-religious marriage.That possibly gave me an additional perspective.

I deliberately used the name of Ibrahim in the film because it is in itself a unifying principlebetween the Judeo-Christian tradition (Abraham) and Islam. Understanding differencesbetween cultures helps you to appreciate their basic commonalties, such as what I can nowobserve between East and West. We must develop our knowledge about others. Knowledge

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is like a bridge between differences. If America understood more about Islam and if Muslimsunderstood more about America, it would better for both.

Exposure to other religions and other societies does not only make you more tolerant toothers; it makes you feel closer to your own identity. I lived in New York for five years, and thatexperience made me appreciate my own society more than ever. But I never felt an outsiderthere. New York is so multi-cultural that it is hard not to feel a sense of belonging. On theother hand, when I live in Bangladesh sometimes I feel I’m an outsider in my own country. Agood friend of ours was killed on Sept. 11th in the Twin Towers tragedy. He worked on the102nd floor. I felt extremely emotional when I heard about it. But when I visited New Yorkagain, strangely enough I began to feel an outsider there for the first time. Sometimes I feellike the character of Anu in the film, as Anu always feels like an outsider, both at madrasa andat home.

Interview with Tareque Masud from Le Monde’s weekly supplement Aden May 15, 2002“My Islam Believes in Dialogue. My film raises questions only.

It’s then up to each person to make their own judgment.”The director of Matir Moina wants to show the beauty and diversity of his country.

Le Monde: This is your first feature film. It also tells your own personal story?

Tareque Masud: My childhood was the most intense period of my life. Like Anu, the little boyin the film, I underwent religious schooling in madrasa. These schools are very strict. At thesame time, they help the most disadvantaged children. I myself had come from a relativelyprivileged background, and in the madrasa I found myself surrounded by children who, forthe most part, had no family.

Le Monde: This was a period of growing political tension between Islamic extremists andsecularists. At the end of the film, civil war breaks out. Despite all this, you have adopted avery contemplative stance on these dramatic events.

TM: Being a child, I saw these events from a distance. It was this sense of distance — which Ibelieve is essential — that I tried to recreate in the film. Anu is a passive observer of the worldaround him. He does not try to intervene. This puts him in a privileged position. Adultsalready have preconceived opinions and judgments. But through Anu’s eyes, withoutdiscrimination, the diverse aspects of my society are revealed: religious pluralism, themoderate Sufi sects, the secular traditions, nationalism… In this context, political upheaval isjust one aspect among many. It’s then up to each person, following Anu’s lead, to make theirown judgment. If my film raises questions, it does so from the innocent perspective of a child.

Le Monde: Through all its contrasting impressions, an image emerges of a country that isculturally very rich.

TM: Bangladesh is a complex country. This reality has nothing to do with its image abroad, ofa poor country of famine, flood and fundamentalism. I wanted to convey my own image ofmy country, that of a moderate Muslim Bangladesh, and to bring out its social, cultural, andpolitical diversity… I wanted to show the diversity of my country in all its contradictions — forme this is the best approach, not only because it is more credible, but also because it is morebeautiful.

Le Monde: A beauty which also takes much inspiration from Islam.

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TM: For us, Islam is rooted in our own soil, it has evolved and adapted to our own traditions,including Hinduism. It has thus become our own form of Islam, a popular Islam. This isexpressed through the “bahas” songs that we hear in the film. These mystical songs are stillvery popular, and serve to transmit much of our knowledge and heritage. They are a means ofmeditation and prayer.

Le Monde: However, as we see with Anu’s father, many Muslims condemn these practices…

TM: In the strict sense of the Shariah, songs are considered profane. But this is only from anoversimplified reading of the Koran and Hadith. It doesn’t take account of the differentinterpretations and debates that have always been an essential part of our religion.Unfortunately, this aspect is often overlooked. For the rest of the world, the image of Islamtends to be dominated by its extremist and intolerant currents. However, our religion isfounded on principles of dialogue. This is what I wanted to show in my film. I have a deeprespect for the Islamic faith, and I hope this film will help my fellow Muslims. It evokes thecore of our religion, a religion of reflection and personal interpretation. This is what is knownin Sufism as “individual reasoning.”

The Story of The Clay Bird

For many years, Tareque and Catherine Masud had dreamed of making a feature film basedon Tareque’s childhood experience in a madrasa (Islamic seminary) during the late 1960s inthe then East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). This was a very turbulent period in Bangladesh’shistory, when as the eastern wing of the greater Islamic state of Pakistan, the country was tornbetween a strong secular and democratic movement and a pro-Islamic military junta bent onstifling dissent and reform. Although there are oblique references to the historical events ofthat time, the story the Masuds wanted to tell was essentially a human one, told through theeyes of a child.

In May 2000, they received the prestigious French Government Fonds Sud (South Fund) grantfor the film’s production, based on the quality of their script. This grant covered the film stock,35mm camera equipment and laboratory facilities from France that were necessary to ensurethe technical quality of the production. In addition, Tareque and Catherine were extremelylucky to secure the involvement of MK2, a prestigious Paris-based production and distributionfirm, as co-producer and international distributor.

The Masuds then embarked on an eighteen-month-long odyssey to produce the film,investing their entire savings in an ambitious project involving extensive seasonal shootingand period production design. The cast was comprised almost entirely of non-professionals:street children, actual madrasa students and teachers, folk musicians and villagers. For thefirst time in a Bangladeshi feature film, location sound recording was used to capturespontaneous performances and live ambience. Over a period spanning one full year, the filmwas shot on actual locations in rural settings and small towns, during winter, monsoon andspring seasons. The filmmakers’ intention was to create an authentic picture of the country,showing Bangladesh in all its color and complexity: its seasonal beauty, its rich folklorictraditions, and pluralistic culture.

In early 2002 the film was completed, and in May, The Clay Bird became the first feature filmfrom Bangladesh to be selected for presentation at the world-renowned Cannes Film Festival.At Cannes, it was given the honor of being the opening film of the Directors’ Fortnight sectionof the festival, and won the International Critics’ Prize for best film in that section. However,even as the French and international press were lauding the film for its positive portrayal ofBangladesh and its tolerant traditions, the Bangladesh Censor Board gave their own verdict:

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the film was banned from public screening because it was deemed too religiously sensitive.For the Masuds, who had endured so much struggle and sacrifice to make the film, it was acrushing blow.

The film was subsequently released in France to wide appreciation, but initially it could not beshown in the country of its origin. A massive campaign was launched in the Bangladesh pressand over the Internet against the ban, and pressure mounted on the Bangladesh governmentto reverse their decision. After taking their case to the Appeal Board, the Masuds succeeded ingetting the ban lifted, but several cuts were demanded by the board. Finally, in October 200,the film had its Bangladesh premiere breaking box office records.

Music and Mysticism in Bangladeshand in The Clay Bird

In Bangladesh, the majority of the population is deprived of literacy. However, a rich oraltradition has evolved over time as a powerful means of creative communication. One of themajor examples of this intricate oral literacy is vocal music. Folk songs are a criticalcomponent in all popular art forms, such as poetry, theatre, and film. Even in painting, suchgenres such as Patachitra or Gazir Git, which appear in scroll form, are displayed incombination with narrative songs. Many of the popular musical traditions are theatrical inpresentation, and likewise, most folk theatre forms are musical in structure. In film also, themain genre of popular cinema in Bangladesh is known as “folk fantasy,” which incorporatessong and dance within a fantasy story structure. In all of these various art forms, the centraland unifying factor is their oral and narrative nature.

Orality also forms the base of the Bengali mystical tradition as well. In contrast to the writtentradition of Sufism in Iran, which is based on poetic texts, mysticism in Bangladesh took onthe oral and musical forms of rural Bengali society. Although in the stricter sense of Shariah(see glossary on page 25 for definition) music is forbidden, in Bangladesh, mystical vocalmusic has become a powerful, yet subtle, form of protest. The lyrics of mystical songs aresuggestive, restrained, and highly metaphoric in nature. This genre of local folk music is aconfluence of Muslim Sufism, Hindu Vaishnavism, and Buddhist mysticism.

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The mystic singers, who are often authors and composers of their songs, are known as Bauls.They live a life of simplicity and detachment from the trappings of material life, perpetuallytraveling from one mystical gathering to another. Their songs also travel from singer to singerand place to place and the “texts” continue to evolve and change. Although Bauls live likeBuddhist monks and refuse to sing professionally, they attract large followings in the villages.

Inspired by the timeless lyrics and tunes of Baul songs, thousands of professional mysticalsingers, known as boyatis, have popularized this spiritual music. Boyatis have taken the mystictradition to a more polemical plane through their bahas — debate-songs on theosophicalthemes. In more recent times, many of the most popular boyatis have been women singers,adding a new dimension to the evolving and ever-dynamic oral musical tradition ofBangladesh.

The Clay Bird principally deals with the social and political environment in which TarequeMasud grew up, but also attempts to show the various aspects of Bangladeshi culture. In fact,one of the main sources of inspiration of the films was music, including folk music, melodicchants, flute and string instruments. The filmmakers were especially inspired by musicaloratorical duels known as bahas. For example, in one song, a man and a woman debatefundamentalism and other more complex forms of Islam. Often these village musicalgatherings will last all night and take on such philosophical themes as the superiority of menvs. women or the nature of the true God. The singers initially improvise their lyrics (whichoften include references to the Koran and the Vedas) and then the songs are transmittedthrough oral tradition.

Through its exploration of the musical traditions of Bangladesh, The Clay Bird also conveys thecountry’s pluralistic culture and tradition of tolerance and openness. In Bangladeshi villagesfolk music remains very popular, despite the growing influence of television. And while it issaid that Shariah prohibits music, in essence these songs are a means of prayer andmeditation for all. They are treasures of Bengali culture.

The original soundtrack of music from The Clay Bird is available from MK2 Music. The title ofthe CD is Bande Originale L’ Oiseau d’Argile. Composed by Moushumi Bhowmik, it is availableonline at: http://boutique.mk2.com/home.asp

http://www.fnac.com/ http://world.abeillemusique.com/produit.php?cle=6347 http://www.amazon.fr

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Selected Song Texts from The Clay Bird

Jodi Bheste Jaite Chao — Duel of Poets (If You Wish to Go to Heaven)

Shishwa (Disciple)If you wish to go to heavenKeep fear of Allah in your heart

Guru (Teacher)If you want to be close to AllahKeep love within your heart

Shishwa (Disciple)I’m just your daughter’s ageI’ll assume the side of shariahAnd take an anti-Sufi stanceDon’t take what I say to heartYou ignore the Holy Scriptures —What kind of Muslims are you?Why are the mullahsalways angry with you?Keep fear of Allah in your heart

Guru (Teacher)You need a measure of wisdomto grasp the Koran and HadithHow can half-read mullahsinterpret the intricate Scriptures?They preach to otherswithout knowing the textsThe dogmatic mullahsmake their living from deceptionWell fed and fattened, they usetheir strength to abuse usKeep love within your heart

Shishwa (Disciple)You Sufis chant Allah’s nameIgnoring creed and prayerYou smoke pot during RamadanWith the excuse of meditationWhat kind of Islamic creedSanctions this immorality?Keep fear of Allah in your heart

Guru (Teacher)Just showing off your ritualsIs that true namaz?Namaz is meditation,To attain tranquilityFasting is self controlHow many really follow that?They skip their meals by day

And eat double by nightWe don’t lust for heavenAnd have no fear of hellKeep love within your heart

Shishwa (Disciple)You don’t go on pilgrimageYou don’t give charityWhat do you have againstRitual sacrifice?Why should MuslimsQuaver at the sight of blood?

Guru (Teacher)You’re asked to sacrificeYour dearest onesAre these cows and goatsYour most beloved?Nothing is dearer than yourselfThe supreme sacrifice is self sacrificeIf you can, restrain your sensesControl your passionsKeep love within your heart

Shishwa (Disciple)You roam around with womenWithout wedding themYou sing and dance togetherWithout shameThe outside world is for menThe woman’s place is at homeKeep fear of Allah in your heart

Guru (Teacher)Woman is the seed of lifeThe source of creationThose who believe in inequalityLock women into marriageWoman is the vessel of loveWoman is the MotherWithout Woman we would notCome into being

(Together)You need both man and womanFor procreation and creationKeep love inside your heartIf you want to be close to AllahKeep love inside your heart

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Shere Khoda Ali ShabeThe Ballad of Fatema

Ali, the Tiger of Allah,Thinks himself so handsome,Seeing his own masculine beautyIn the mirror

Ali’s son Hossain tells his father,“If only you knewMy mother’s true beauty”

Ali rushes to his wife and says,“Show me your beautythat you’ve hidden evenfrom your own husband”

Fatema replies,“It’s not a physical beautythat can be seen with the naked eye.”

Then Fatema utters her curse:“Whoever beheld my divine imagewill die in a fratricidal war.”

Ali says, “Your curse is for noneother than your own son.Hossain witnessed your sacred selfin an invisible mosque.”

Hearing Fatema’s cry, Allah says:“I can save your sonbut no other child will bespared their mother’s curse.”

Cries out Earth-Mother Fatema,“O Allah, let me lose my son.But let no other childsuffer from the curse of their mother!”

The inner grace of Mohammed’sDaughter illuminates the worldThus Fatema’s pain redeemsThe suffering of all women

Pakhita Bondi AcheThe Bird Is Trapped In the Body’s Cage

The bird is trapped in the body’s cageIts feet are bound with worldly chainsIt tries to fly but falters to the groundThe bird is trapped in the body’s cage

Rainbow colored birdsCircle freely in the skyTheir brilliant splendorA rapture for the eye

The bird pines with longingIt yearns to spread its wings

It wants to join the joyful birdsLeaving its fleeting home behind

The clay bird laments:“Why did you infuseMy heart with longingIf you didn’t give my wingsThe strength to fly?”

Its feet are bound with worldly chainsIt tries to fly but falters to the groundThe bird is trapped in the body’s cage

MilaadIslamic Death Ritual Chant

Persecuted by his own tribesmen,the Prophet took refuge in Tayef

The people of Tayef abused him too,but Mohammed silently endured

When Angel Gabriel sought revengeMohammed restrained him

The Prophet prayed, Oh Allah,forgive them for they know not what theydo

When the Prophet left this world,All cried, followers and foes alike,Hearing of his sad demise

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Dialogue Excerpts from The Clay Bird (Matir Moina)

Conversation between two madrasa teachers:

Ibrahim (a moderate madrasa teacher): What the Head Teacher said about elem (knowledge)and amal (practice) may be misleading to some of the students… You see, Islam didn’t spreadin this country through the sword. It was only the selfless and swordless Sufis and darvisheswho went door to door to spread Islam’s message of peace and equality among the poor andlow caste Hindus. The lords and kings from Iran and Arabia conquered the land, but not thehearts of the people. It was the half-naked fakirs who won their hearts. Only then the peopleembraced Islam. You cannot make Islam flourish with politics and force. It is only bydisseminating elem that Islam will prosper.

Halim Mia (junior teacher): So you want to say that our mission is to spread elem? Just elem forelem’s sake?

Ibrahim: Definitely not. What are we doing here? This is not just elem. This is amal also. Yousee who comes to study in our madrasas? Many are orphans, of course. Also, parents whocannot feed and clothe their children, not to mention educate them, send their children here.Isn’t this so? Our duty is to care for these children and make them into pure Muslims. This isour mission. Our amal. It’s not fair to use these children for any political end.

Halim Mia: But in the name of secularism, the pro-communists are endangering the veryexistence of Islam in this country. We need to confront them, don’t we?

Ibrahim: Then tell me, what is the difference between us and the communists?

Halim Mia: How can you separate Islam from politics? Now the existence of Pakistan is atstake. And if Pakistan is torn apart, Islam will be destroyed as well.

Ibrahim: Halim Mia, please tell me. Why do you think Islam will be endangered by the collapseof Pakistan? Did Pakistan strengthen Islam, or has it rather established military rule?

Conversation between four student friends:

Milon: … Uttam, you’ve got to understand. It’s not just a matter of democracy and nationalliberation. The real issue is economic emancipation. And here’s where imperialism comes in.And the need for class struggle.

Uttam: You’re still under the spell of your communist ghosts. You know what’s funny — don’tmind this — despite your differences, there’s a strange similarity between you and your bigbrother. Kazi shaheb’s homeo-path, and you’re Marx-path: both came from Germany. Did younotice that?

Shaheen: And fascism also has its roots in Germany!

Fourth Friend: Marxism, capitalism, all isms — in the process of fighting over all these Westernisms and schisms we’re just screwing ourselves!

Shaheen: So what about Islam? Isn’t that just another thing from the West?

Fourth Friend: Why should that be? I think our Islam has flourished from our own soil.

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Milon: No matter how much we argue, the truth is that nothing is purely indigenous.Everything is mixed up.

Conversation between the student Milon and the mystic boatman Karim Majhi

Milon: …There’s only one way left open to us — to fight for freedom.

Karim Majhi: Politics is just another game, isn’t it Milon bhai? There’s nothing in it for peoplelike us. If people only understood what true freedom is...

Milon: Karim bhai, what are you talking about? It’s because of blindly religious people like youthat the country is in such a mess.

Karim Majhi: What do you mean by blindly religious? Actually, Milon Bhai, no true religion —be it Hinduism, Islam or Christianity — will ever make people blind. True religion openspeople’s eyes.

‘Bird’ Bidding for Oscars‘Moina’ first Bengali-language pic submitted to AMPAS

Variety, November 7, 2002

New Delhi — A Bangladeshi film that’s won two international awards despite being bannedby the Dhaka government has been submitted for Oscar consideration by the country’s filmindustry.

Shahidul Islam Khokon, president of the Bangladesh Film Directors’ Assn., announcedTuesday that “Matir Moina” (“The Clay Bird”) has been entered in the race for foreign languagefilm nominations, becoming the first Bengali - language film to be submitted for the AcademyAwards.

A censored version of the pic preemed in the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka, two weeks ago afterfinally being cleared by government censors, who had initially banned it on grounds it could“hurt the religious sentiment of one section of society.”

Pic, which portrays life in an Islamic madrasa, or religious school, won the director’s award atthe Cannes Film Festival and screenplay kudos at the Marrakech Film Festival in Morocco.

“The Clay Bird” is directed by Tareque Masud and produced by his wife Catherine Masud.

Comments from the International Press:

“Easily one of the finest pictures of this year or any other. Masud’s expansive fluidity israpturous, inspired equally by the floating equanimity of Satyajit Ray and the work of theIranian director Abbas Kiarostami.”— Elvis Mitchell, New York Times

“Quietly superb filmmaking … a valuable and independent engagement with Muslim history,a nuanced riposte to both religious dogmatism and Western Islamophobia. It is one of thefilms of the year.” — Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian (UK)

“This accomplished, emotionally involving film-an intimately observed story of divisionswithin a family that reflect the wider clash between moderate and extremist views-will have

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universal resonance as it echoes other secular and political conflicts throughout the world.”David Rooney — Variety

“A hymn to tolerance, against all religious and political dogmatisms, this autobiographicalfirst film, presented at the opening of the Directors’ Fortnight, is a symphony of color andmusic. A must see.” — Agence France Presse

“The plot is timely, as critics around the world denounce madrasas as the breeding groundsfor Afghanistan’s hard-line Taliban regime and Pakistani extremists.” — ABC News (Australia)

New York Times, Saturday April 5, 2003FILM FESTIVAL REVIEWS; A Child Copes with Dad’s Zealotry

By Elvis Mitchell

This is probably an unusual — but perhaps apt — time for Tareque Masud’s intelligent drama,‘‘The Clay Bird,” an offering of the New Directors/New Films series and easily one of the finestpictures of this year or any other. Masud’s expansive fluidity is rapturous, inspired equally bythe floating equanimity of Satyajit Ray and the work of the Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami,who deftly uses ritual behavior to provide social commentary.

Set in Bangladesh in the 1960s, The Clay Bird, showing tonight and tomorrow at noon,questions the nature of dedication to Islam. It doesn’t attack fealty, but eventually rebukeszealotry by showing a boy’s reaction to his father’s recent total immersion.

Anu (Nurul Islam Bablu) is sent off to a religious school by his father, Kazi (JayantoChattopadhyay). Kazi — who once “dressed as an Englishman,” one of his friends says —doesn’t want his son tainted by the outside world. His obedient though doubtful wife, Ayesha(Rokeya Prachy), quietly expresses through frowns her concern about Kazi’s close-mindednew seriousness. She gently reasons with her boy, and the bright Anu resigns himself to hisnew life.

At the school, despite the rigorous discipline meted out by the teachers, there’s thecliquishness and hierarchical behavior found among any group of young people. The boysinitially ostracize the new kid but eventually accept him.

Anu gravitates toward the one boy who will never be accepted: the oddball Rokon (RussellFarazi). Rokon can’t suppress his enthusiasms, and he hasn’t learned how to play up to theteachers by pretending to go along with the program, as the other boys have; they’ve alreadypicked up the duplicity that adults often mistake for maturity. (They have to conceal much ofthemselves, since they’re allowed to play only when practicing martial arts.)

The loss of innocence is only one of the motifs here. Anu’s sister becomes sick and sufferseven more when Kazi refuses to let his wife give her antibiotics. He’s wedded to homeopathyand prayer as treatment.

Rokon is constantly rebuked by almost everyone. At one point, he’s punished by a teacher forusing his left hand to write; it’s thought to be disrespectful. But Rokon keeps to his ways; hisnaturalness represents sacrifice, the biggest casualty of zealotry. He loves his imaginaryfriends and runs off to hiding places where he snacks on desserts that he claims to havereceived from a nonexistent playmate.

The school does have one teacher not bound to rigid ideology: Ibrahim, who recognizesAnu’s decency and takes as much interest in Rokon’s well being as he can under the

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circumstances. But it’s hard when Rokon is plagued by a buzzing in his ears, occurring at theworst times, as when one of the instructors delivers a grim sermon on the conviction neededfor Islam.

Masud’s sensitivity gives the film a pungent emotional clarity; he recognizes that naïveté isn’ta province only of childhood. Kazi’s a naïf, too, and learns the hard way that following a pathwithout independent thought is a fool’s errand. He’s ultimately devastated when he learns ofthe civil war and Muslims attacking other Muslims: the revolution is coming and it claimsKazi’s way of life. His brother, the bespectacled, curious Milon, can smell change in the windsand waxes rhapsodic about it. (He slips the medicine for Anu’s sister to Ayesha and scolds Kazifor his “Hindu nonsense.”)

The Clay Bird is not without a sense of humor. Milon has his strongly held beliefs, too; he’sdevoted to Communism and its ideals. Such a need connects these men as brothers, and it’sgently mocked: “Kazi’s homeopathy and your Marx party, both came from Germany,” one ofMilon’s pals says. It’s also evident that Masud loves all his characters, even the small-mindedones — the sign of a real director. It’s no small achievement to make a picture that extols thenecessity for clear, free thought while dramatizing the barriers that challenge such a capacity.

THE CLAY BIRDDirected by Tareque Masud; written (in Bengali, with English subtitles) by Mr. Masud andCatherine Masud; director of photography, Sudheer Palsane; edited and produced by Ms.Masud; music by Moushumi Bhowmik; art directors, Kazi Rakib and Sylvain Nahmias. Runningtime: 98 minutes. This film is not rated. Shown with a 10-minute short, Nilesh Patel’s LoveSupreme, tonight at 9 p.m. and Sunday at noon at the MoMA Gramercy, 127 East 23rd Street,between Lexington and Third Avenues, as part of the 32nd New Directors/New Films series ofthe Film Society of Lincoln Center and the department of film and media of the Museum ofModern Art.

WITH: Nurul Islam Bablu (Anu), Russell Farazi (Rokon), Jayanto Chattopadhyay (Kazi) andRokeya Prachy (Ayesha).

The Guardian , July 4, 2003The Clay Bird

By Peter Bradshaw

As good fortune would have it, Monica Ali’s novel Brick Lane, speaking so eloquently of theBangladeshi experience in Britain, arrives at the same time as an outstanding new movieabout Bangladesh itself.

This is a first feature from documentarist Tareque Masud, autobiographical, but refreshinglywithout egotism or conceit. It’s a vision of childhood with its own beguiling simplicity andgentleness, alternating an intense family chamber drama with breathtaking crowd scenes andgiant setpieces. It is quietly superb film-making, and Masud makes it look as easy asbreathing. The affecting story he has to tell is positioned alongside both the political traumaof Bangladesh’s emergence as an independent state from the wreckage of East Pakistan and,perhaps most remarkably, a critique of Islam, offered without rancor or sensation, but enoughto get the movie banned until relatively recently in Bangladesh.

Kazi (Jayanto Chattopadhyay) is a doctor in a remote East Pakistan village in the late 1960s. Inmiddle age, he has abandoned the worldly, westernized ways of his youth and embraced theseverities of Islam, becoming fiercer and more distant with his wife Ayesha (Rokeya Prachy),

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his young son Anu (Nurul Islam Bablu) and ailing little daughter Asma (Lameessa Reemjheem)whose worrying illnesses he treats not with the medicines and clinical practices importedfrom the non-Muslim world but with only homeopathy - a stubbornness for which he is to paydearly.

What enrages Kazi more and more is the subversive existence of his younger brother Milon(Soaeb Islam), a liberal intellectual figure forever campaigning with his excitable friendsagainst the military’s suppression of democracy. He is also a genial uncle to Anu, taking himfor high-spirited little excursions to see the local Hindu festivals, high days and holidays,filmed with terrific intimacy but without ethnographic condescension. The boy is bewitchedby their sheer, sensuous enjoyment of life - something that’s in short supply at home.

So with cold ruthlessness, Kazi removes Anu from the influences he fears are poisoning hismind, and sends him away to the madrasa, a strict Islamic school and ideological boot campcombined. Poor Anu finds himself deeply lonely and scared, like many a new pupil at anyboarding school in the world; Masud shows a sure and humane touch by having Anu find akindred spirit in another boy, Rokon (Russell Farazi), with whom he plays melancholy fantasygames. This is someone else who is unable to fit in, because he suffers from tints, tormentedby sounds inside his head - leading to an awe-inspiring exorcism scene.

On his brief holidays home, Anu finds his village fraught with tension and anxiety at thecoming violence, though his father assures family and neighbors that Muslim soldiers wouldnever dream of using force on their civilian co-religionists. Anu brings back a poignant littlepresent for his sister: a blue painted clay bird which he warns her to keep hidden from theirfather. The bird’s existence is echoed in the songs performed by the musicians andtroubadours: songs about the its spirit of flight and a yearning for freedom, imprisoned in itsclay shell - these resonate in the life not just of Kazi’s fragile daughter but also of his wife.

But it is in the madrasa, not at home, that Anu hears a compelling dissentient voice. A kindlyteacher argues with his colleagues about the importance of the Sufis: figures who used theinspiring example of peace, and not arms or politics, to spread Islamic knowledge.

As a sceptical assessment of Islam’s secular authority, The Clay Bird is at the very opposite endof the spectrum from, say, the macho and hostile spleen of Michel Houellebecq. The filmoffers a valuable and independent engagement with Muslim history, quite different from theugly fight-to-the-finish promoted elsewhere in the media, and constitutes a nuanced riposteboth to the dogmatic verities of religion and also to a species of Islamophobia that assumesthe Muslim world to be crudely monolithic.

All this is encased in a powerfully accessible piece of storytelling: a classic tale for children andadults alike. Masud’s film-making moves with such an easy swing and canny feel for narrative,contriving a down-to-earth, unassuming cinematic vernacular for narrating the adventures ofchildhood and the awful choices of adulthood.

It has been many decades since south-Asian arthouse cinema has been fashionable; now it’sthe movies from Iran, Latin America and the Far East that get talked about, and Satyajit Ray’swork doesn’t dominate the Top 10 lists the way it used to. Maybe The Clay Bird will reversethat — inspired, as it clearly and unapologetically is, by Ray. And it’s not going too far to saythat it has much of the ease, the visual rapture and sheer unforced naturalness of Ray’s greatpicture Pather Panchali.

The Clay Bird has marvelous humor and flair, and compassion for children’s sadness and theirresilience in the face of life’s trials. It is one of the films of the year.

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Variety, May 18, 2002The Clay Bird (Matir Moina)

By David Rooney

Documaker Tareque Masud makes a confident transition to narrative drama with “The ClayBird.” The filmmaker returns to his childhood in the politically turbulent period before EastPakistan gained independence and became Bangladesh. This accomplished, emotionallyinvolving film—an intimately observed story of divisions within a family that reflect the widerclash between moderate and extremist views—will have universal resonance as it echoesother secular and political conflicts throughout the world. Its wealth of cultural and folkloricdetail also should help secure festival interest as well as modest exposure on the arthousefringe. Joint opener of the Directors’ Fortnight marks the sidebar’s first-ever selection fromBangladesh.

Action takes place in the late 1960s as a democratic movement gained force in its bid tooverthrow military rule. The attempt succeeded in 1969 but the martial law government thatfollowed disregarded the subsequent democratic election results. This led to a violent civilwar that brought an estimated 3 million casualties among Bengali freedom fighters andcreated almost 10 million refugees before independence was finally achieved in 1971.

Against this backdrop, stern orthodox Muslim Kazi (Jayanto Chattopadhyay) becomesincreasingly concerned about the influence of his free-thinking young brother on the former’spreteen son Anu (Nurul Islam Bablu). Disturbed by the boy’s enthusiasm for the village Hindufestivities, Kazi packs him off to a madrasa, or Islamic school, where he is trained in therigorous ways of monastic life. Miserable and lonely, Anu befriends underdog Rokon (RussellFarazi), feeling a kinship with his outcast status.

When Anu’s younger sister takes ill and dies after homeopathic doctor Kazi refuses to haveher properly treated, the children’s grieving mother Ayesha (Rokeya Prachy) grows furtherapart from her stubborn but confused husband, who has forced a life of traditionalconfinement upon her.

The increasing divide between them parallels the political clash in the country and theemergence of opposing views within the madrasa. Bittersweet final act takes place as theArmy descends on the village, with Ayesha’s decision for her own and her son’s futuretransmitting a spirit of hope and independence.

Ideas such as the conflict between and Islamic beliefs and armed violence occasionally areaddressed in slightly didactic dialogue. But the script—written by the director and hisAmerican wife Catherine Masud—deftly uses the family drama to mirror the nationwidepolitical ferment, outlining the historical context clearly and accessibly stating its case fortolerance with subtle eloquence. Music also is used resourcefully for the central themes, viaBengali oratorical duets and other songs performed in village concerts.

The drama builds a gentle, fluid rhythm, shifting between family’s home life and Anu’s time inthe madrasa while keeping the political picture in focus through street protests and radiobroadcasts.

Pic is handsomely shot in soft natural light and warm interiors with a leisurely, gracefulcamera style.

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Showing a strong personal connection to the material, director Masud coaxes lovely, naturalperformances from the inexperienced child cast as well as poignant work from the adultleads.

ABC News Online Australia, Tuesday, May 14, 2002Film-maker recalls his past to take Bangladesh to Cannes

Matir Moina or The Clay Bird, which on Thursday inaugurates the directors’ fortnight atCannes, marks a journey into the past for Bangladesh’s Tareque Masud, who hopes his filmwill show the world a nuanced view of Islamic religious schools. The film, portraying aBangladeshi boy attending a madrasa against the backdrop of political turmoil, is deeplypersonal for Masud, who spent eight years in such a seminary until the bloody 1971independence war against Pakistan.

“The making of Matir Moina was not only a return to my own childhood, but also a journeyinto the deep heart of my own country and my own soul,” Masud said.

Masud, the first Bangladeshi to be so honoured at Cannes, grew up in a middle-class family inthe country’s central Faridpur district. His father, an English teacher and musician who turneddevout, sent him off to a madrasa.

“I didn’t have to invent a story as almost every event and character are actual,” he said.

In the film, the boy is torn between a madrasa teacher who believes in political action and amoderate instructor who feels students should not be used for ideological ends. The plot istimely, as critics around the world denounce madrasas as the breeding grounds forAfghanistan’s hard-line Taliban regime and Pakistani extremists. But in Matir Moina Masuddoes not take a confrontational tone but instead tries to present a sympathetic picture of lifeat an Islamic school.

“It had been a long dream to share this experience with my fellow countrymen, many ofwhom like Western people, are completely ignorant and misinformed about madrasas,”Masud said. “When you see something from afar it has a very flat and simple appearance, butwhen you see it from a closer perspective you perceive its complexity and diversity, beyondstereotypical impressions” he said.

For Masud, the 1971 war, in which the Bangladeshi government says three million peoplewere killed by Pakistani forces, ended in liberation in more ways than one. “My father…emerged as a transformed man after the nine-month war, having seen the atrocities carriedout by his fellow Muslims and the genocide carried out in the name of Islam,” he said.

Masud says the lessons of the war bore heavily on modern Bangladesh, where Islamists cameto power last year as part of the ruling coalition and human rights groups have reportedattacks on the Hindu minority community. “Being victims of the war ourselves, we havelearned the hard way what kind of violence and genocide can be committed in the name ofreligion.

“I don’t think Bangladesh is potentially vulnerable to any extremism, not only due to the factthat the state is founded on secularist principles, but also because of the great syncretic andmystic tradition among the population. “What many other countries are learning todaythough bloody strife and conflict, Bangladeshis learned that 32 years ago,” he said.

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Masud, 45, came to the limelight with two short films about the independence war, MuktiGaan and Muktir Kotha, which like Matir Moina, he produced and edited with his Americanwife, Catherine.

“I feel more than honoured that our film is selected as the opening film of the Directors’Fortnight of Cannes 2002. It is not only a great moment in my film-making career but also agood opportunity to project a different image of Bangladesh,” he said.

Masud says increasingly accessible technology was making work easier for Bangladesh’sindependent filmmakers. With his wife, he runs a Dhaka production company calledAudiovision. They have introduced computer-based film editing and digital sound dubbingand mixing.

“I hope that the film’s selection will also inspire my fellow film-makers, particularly theyounger generation, to strive for a better cinema and to try to bring our vision of our richculture and heritage to the rest of the world,” he said.

To: Film Censor Board, BangladeshPETITION: Remove the ban on Matir Moina

The Bangladesh Film Censor Board (FCB) has refused to issue a censor certificate to the filmMatir Moina (Clay Bird). This ruling overturns the earlier decision by the FCB (which is adivision of the Ministry of Information) to issue an “uncut” certificate to the film. In a letter tothe director Tareque Masud, the FCB said the film should not be projected in public as itcontains “religiously sensitive” material.

This decision comes as a great surprise to those who have seen the film. The nation’s leadingnewspaper Daily Star called it a “sensitive portrayal of a multi-cultural and multi-religiousBangladesh.” The film is set against the historical backdrop of Bangladesh’s 1971 liberationwar in which 3 million people were killed by the Pakistan army. The lead character is amadrasa (Islamic religious school) student and is based on the personal experiences of thedirector Tareque Masud. Mr. Masud is a former madrasa student and said in a newspaperinterview, “I made the movie as a fellow Muslim and wanted to inform people about the life ina madrasa that has both strict and liberal teachers… As a former madrasa student, I haveportrayed not only the religious tolerance and broadmindedness of Bangladeshi society butalso a positive, credible and objective picture of the country against the negative propagandaof western media about madrasas” (Daily Star).

Expressing surprise at the decision, the Daily Star newspaper wrote in an editorial: “Given thatthe film depicts madrasa education in a very sensitive light and presents the socio-religiouscontradictions in any society trying to adjust to the modern world, one is left wondering whatcaused the ire of the censors. In fact the film takes a very sympathetic view of madrasaeducation which contrasts radically with Western depiction of Muslim religious education insuch institutions.”

The FCB’s decision comes at a time when the film is receiving attention all over the world andcreating a positive image for Bangladesh. Matir Moina was selected as the opening film for theprestigious Directors Fortnight section of the Cannes Film Festival. This is the first time aBangladeshi film has been included in this world-renowned festival. On May 16th, the film’spremiere received a standing ovation at Cannes. Responding to public demand, the festivalorganizers added three special screenings of the film.

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On May 17th, the film was released in France nationwide by the French distributor MK2(http://www.mk2.com/oiseau_argile/index.html). MK2 is an internationally renowneddistribution house and is responsible for bringing the Iranian films of Abbas Kiarostami to aglobal audience. Variety, the leading newspaper of the US film industry, called Matir Moina an,“accomplished, emotionally involving film—an intimately observed story of divisions within afamily that reflect the wider clash between moderate and extremist views.”

In an interview with the Daily Star, Tareque Masud said, “(it is) a good opportunity to project adifferent image of Bangladesh. I hope that the film’s selection will also inspire my fellow film-makers, particularly the younger generation, to strive for a better cinema and to try to bringour vision of our rich culture and heritage to the rest of the world.”

Matir Moina provides a nuanced and subtle view of Islam, rather than the stereotypical Islam-bashing of western media. We believe the FCB of Bangladesh has committed a grave error bybanning this film. This action will only give ammunition to those who portray Islamic cultureas rigid and unyielding. Rather than protecting religious sentiments, the ban will only stifleopen discussion and progressive change. We urge the FCB to reconsider their decision andgive the film the censorship clearance necessary for its domestic release in Bangladesh.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned (529 Total Signatures as of May 13, 2003)

Flight from Bollywood: The Meaning of “Bengali Cinema”By Catherine Masud

Until the Partition of 1947, Bengal was a united province in British India, and thus there is astrong common cultural heritage between West Bengal, now an Indian state, and the Easternpart of Bengal, now the independent country of Bangladesh. “Bangladeshi” denotes anational identity of people who are citizens of Bangladesh, while “Bengali” has a morespecifically linguistic and cultural reference that has common denominators on both sides ofthe border. However, the term “Bengali cinema” has come to mean different things atdifferent times.

In the 1950s and 1960s, with the emergence of such renowned Calcutta-based filmmakers asSatyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak, and Mrinal Sen, there was a strong association of “Bengali” cinemawith films from Indian Bengal. But the growing influence of Bollywood in West Bengalbrought about a parallel decline of Calcutta art cinema. Bengali-language films are stillproduced in West Bengal, but W. Bengal cinema halls frequently run Hindi languageBollywood films. Today, films by Calcutta filmmakers are generally known abroad as “Indian”films, a smaller subset of a diverse panorama defined more by national origin than bylanguage.

After Bangladesh’s independence from Pakistan in 1971, Bangladesh cinema incidentallybecame exclusively Bengali-language cinema. Furthermore, an embargo on Indian filmsinitially precipitated by the 1965 Indo-Pakistan War has evolved post-’71 into an ongoingprotectionist policy on both sides of the border. Bollywood/Indian films are not allowed torun in Bangladesh’s commercial theatres, while Bangladeshi films are likewise shut out ofIndia’s distribution circuit. Thus at the exhibition level as well, the Bangladesh industry ispurely Bengali language-based. Since nation and language are very much interrelated in thecase of Bangladesh, the country’s cinema is interchangeably identified asBengali/Bangladeshi cinema.

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For more information on the history of cinema and the current film industry in Bangladesh:http://www.bangladesh.net/cinema/http://www.bangladeshshowbiz.com/filmcelrb.htmhttp://www.latrobe.edu.au/screeningthepast/firstrelease/fr1100/rzfr11d.htmhttp://213.93.55.248/pics/flags/BANGLADESH.CFM

A Brief Timeline of Bangladeshi Cinema (1896-1971)

1896 John Stevens exhibited the first bioscope shows in Calcutta, then the capital city ofundivided Bengal, and in Dhaka.

1898 The Royal Bioscope Company, established by Hiralal Sen (1866-1917), was the firstBengalee exhibition-production organization. Hiralal Sen was also the first filmdirector/producer of undivided Bengal.

1918 Dhirendra Nath Ganguly established the first Bengalee owned film productioncompany: Indo British Film Co.

1919 Joytish Benerjee made Bilwa Mangal, the first silent Bengali feature film, producedunder the banner of Priyonath Ganguly and Madan Theatres.

1923 Naresh Mitra created the first adaptation of famed Bengali poet Rabindra Nath Thakur:Maan Bhanjan.

1929 The short film Sukumari (The Good Girl), spearheaded by the Nawab family, was the firstfilm production in Dhaka. Until 1956, there were several production attempts(including success by the Nawabs with a silent feature, The Last Kiss, in 1931), butDhaka primarily had exhibition.

1931 The first Bengali sound picture, Jamai Shasthi, was released in Calcutta.1947 Dhaka became the capital of new province East Bengal (East Pakistan) in the newly

created state of Pakistan.1948 Radio broadcaster Nazir Ahmed, using technical help from Calcutta, produced a

newsreel covering the visit of Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the first Governor General ofPakistan, to East Bengal — East Pakistan’s first film.

1955 The East Bengal Provincial Government established a film studio and laboratory inTejgaon, Dhaka, producing documentaries and publicity films.

1956 Mukh-O-Mukhus (The Face and the Mask), the first full-length sound theatrical featurefilm, directed by Abdul Jabbar Khan, of East Bengal and West Pakistan. The Bengalilanguage movement was the film’s catalyst.

1957 The East Bengal Provincial Assembly established the Film Development Corporation(F.D.C), which really jumpstarted the nation-state’s film industry. The FDC’s first filmwas Asiya (The Life of a Village Girl), directed by Fateh Lohani, and planned by NazirAhmed.

1970 Jiban Theke Neya (From the Glimpse of Life), by veteran director, Zahir Raihan, combinedits family drama/romance story with political content and predicted the liberation ofBangladesh.

1971 December 16th, Bangladesh gained its independence after a bloody civil war in whichmany film directors, talent and technicians took part. Films about the liberation warwere produced, including Zahir Raihan’s documentary Stop Genocide about thePakistani military oppression and documentaries from the exile Bangladeshgovernment’s film unit under the leadership of Abdul Jabbar Khan.

Glossary

Bahas: Literally “debate” in Arabic. In Bangladesh, a typical bahas is a formal debate organizedin front of an audience between two Islamic clerics on various religious creeds and issues. Butbahas also has a wider meaning as a duet performance between rival mystic singers whodebate through song on a higher theosophical plane. Sometimes these improvised “song

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duels” extend beyond religion and enter the domain of philosophical polemics. This is inkeeping with the more Sufistic tradition of the quest for truth through a process ofquestioning.

Madrasa: Traditionally, a madrasa is a religious school, often located near a mosque, forteaching Islamic theology and religious law. Most of the young madrasa boys come from verypoor families; others are orphans. By providing free food and lodging in addition toeducation, madrasas provide a sanctuary for these children. However, the atmosphere is verystrict, and in the more orthodox madrasas, music, drawing and playing games that involveimplements or boundaries are forbidden. Insular and conservative, madrasas have becomemore and more numerous in recent times in Bangladesh.

Shariah: Literally “a path to life-giving water” — Shariah is the body of rules and regulationsprescribed by Islam as divine law. These laws relate to all aspects of the life of a Muslimincluding daily activities, worship, and criminal law. It is obligatory on every Muslim to respectand follow the Shariah in every aspect of their life. It is also obligatory on Muslim nations toimplement the Shariah, and make it the source of all law and legislation. The codes anddoctrines of Shariah are often interpreted by Islamic authorities with reference to the Koranand other holy Islamic texts.

Sufism: Sufism is Islamic mysticism. It exists in Sunni as well as Shiite Islam. Like all mysticism,it is above all a searching for God and it can be expressed in very different ways. In its esotericaspects, it has secret practices and initiation rites, which can also vary depending on themasters who teach it. Although Sufism claims to be rigorously Muslim, traditional Islam (bothSunni and Shiite) remains extremely wary of it. The importance of this secret Islam isremarkable. Historically, it has played a leading role in the rise of deviations from Shi’ism suchas Ismailism and the Druze religion. In literature, it has profoundly inspired some of the mostremarkable Arabo-Persian works such as The Thousand and One Nights or Nezami Ganjawi’slove poem “Leyla and Majnoun.” Sufism gives Islam a poetic, mystical dimension. The prophetMohammed is said to have received, at the same time as the Koran, esoteric revelations thathe shared only with certain of his companions. Thus, the Sufi masters link their teachings witha long chain of predecessors, which authenticate them.

Vaishnavism: A path of Hinduism in which Vishnu is worshiped as the Lord. Different sectsworship different incarnations of Vishnu, including Brahma, Buddha, Jain Tirthankaras, Ramaand Krishna.

Milestone Film & Video

With more than 13 years experience in art-house film distribution, Milestone has earned anunparalleled reputation for releasing classic cinema masterpieces, new foreign films,groundbreaking documentaries and American independent features. Thanks to thecompany’s rediscovery, restoration and release of such important films as Mikhail Kalatozov’saward-winning I am Cuba, Pier Paolo Pasolini’s Mamma Roma, and Alfred Hitchcock’s BonVoyage and Aventure Malgache, the company now occupies an honored position as one of themost influential independent distributors in the industry. In 1999, the L.A. Weekly choseMilestone as “Indie Distributor of the Year.”

Amy Heller and Dennis Doros started Milestone in 1990 to bring out the best films ofyesterday and today. The company has released such remarkable new films as Manoel deOliveira’s I’m Going Home, Bae Yong-kyun’s Why Has Bodhi-Dharma Left for the East?, HirokazuKore-eda’s Maborosi, and Takeshi Kitano’s Fireworks (Hana-Bi), and now, Tareque andCatherine Masud’s The Clay Bird.

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Milestone’s re-releases have included restored versions of Luchino Visconti’s Rocco and HisBrothers, F.W. Murnau’s Tabu, Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack’s Grass and Chang,Henri-Georges Clouzot’s The Mystery of Picasso, and Marcel Ophuls’s The Sorrow and the Pity.Milestone is also working with the Mary Pickford Foundation on a long-term project topreserve, re-score and release the best films of the legendary silent screen star. In recentyears, Milestone has re-released beautifully restored versions of Frank Hurley’s South: ErnestShackleton and the Endurance Expedition, Kevin Brownlow’s It Happened Here and Winstanley,Lotte Reiniger’s animation masterpiece, The Adventures of Prince Achmed, Michael Powell’s TheEdge of the World (a Martin Scorsese presentation), Jane Campion’s Two Friends, GilloPontecorvo’s The Wide Blue Road (a Jonathan Demme and Dustin Hoffman presentation),Conrad Rooks’ Siddhartha and Rolando Klein’s Chac. Milestone’s newest classic film, E.A.Dupont’s Piccadilly — starring the bewitching Anna May Wong in one of her finest roles —played at the 2003 New York Film Festival and is opening theatrically nationwide in 2004.

For 2004, Milestone will also be releasing The Big Animal, Jerzy Stuhr’s wonderful film parable(based on a story by Krzysztof Kieslowski).

Milestone has fruitful collaborations with some of the world’s major archives, including theBritish Film Institute, UCLA Film & Television Archive, George Eastman House, Museum ofModern Art, Library of Congress, Nederlands Filmmuseum and the Norsk Filminstitut. In 2000Milestone’s 10th Anniversary Retrospective was shown in venues nationwide and Milestonedonated revenues from these screenings to four major archives in the United States andEngland to help restore films that might otherwise be lost.

In 2003, Milestone released an important series of great silent restorations including thehorror classic The Phantom of the Opera; an early neorealist adaptation of Emile Zola’s La Terre;and an historical epic of Polish independence, The Chess Player. Other video highlights for theyear included Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle and Buster Keaton’s The Cook & Other Treasures, andthree incredible animation releases: Cut-Up: The Films of Grant Munro; Norman McLaren: TheCollector’s Edition; and Winsor McCay: The Master Edition.

In 1995 Milestone received a Special Archival Award from the National Society of Film Criticsfor its restoration and release of I am Cuba. Eight of the company’s films — Charles Burnett’sKiller of Sheep (to be released in 2004), F.W. Murnau’s Tabu, Edward S. Curtis’s In the Land of theWar Canoes, Mary Pickford’s Poor Little Rich Girl, Lon Chaney’s The Phantom of the Opera, ClaraBow’s It, Winsor McCay’s Gertie the Dinosaur, and Merian C. Cooper, Ernest B. Schoedsack andMarguerite Harrison’s Grass — are listed on the Library of Congress’s National Film Registry.On January 2, 2004, the National Society of Film Critics awarded Milestone Film & Video theirprestigious Film Heritage award for “its theatrical and DVD presentations of Michael Powell'sThe Edge of the World, E.A. Dupont's Piccadilly, André Antoine's La Terre, Rupert Julian’sPhantom of the Opera and Mad Love: The Films of Evgeni Bauer.”

Cindi Rowell, director of acquisitions, has been with Milestone since 1999. In 2003 NadjaTennstedt joined the company as director of international sales.

“Since its birth the Milestone Film & Video Co. has steadily become the industry’sforemost boutique distributor of classic and art films — and probably the only

distributor in America whose name is actually a guarantee of some quality.”— William Arnold, Seattle Post-Intelligencer

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“Milestone Film & Video is an art-film distributor that has released some of the most distinguishednew movies (along with seldom-seen vintage movie classics) of the past decade”

— Stephen Holden, New York Times